Estonia is stepping up preparations for a potential conflict with Russia. According to diplomatic and defense sources cited by the Financial Times, the small Baltic state is moving its armed forces closer to the Russian border while expanding its long-range strike capabilities.
Estonia is permanently stationing troops closer to the Russian border and acquiring weapons capable of striking deep inside neighboring territory, as the NATO member prepares for a potential Russian attack following the end of the war in Ukraine, the Financial Times reported, citing Estonian defense officials.
Estonia’s military and intelligence chiefs do not believe Moscow intends to launch a full-scale war against NATO within at least the next two years. However, they believe Russia is preparing for a possible future conflict with the small Baltic state.
Estonian officials fear that the Kremlin could take an opportunistic risk, such as launching a limited intervention designed to test NATO’s collective-defense commitment. They argue that neither Estonia nor NATO can currently deter such a scenario with sufficient credibility.
This concern has prompted Estonia, which does not have its own air force and therefore relies on NATO to protect its airspace, to adopt a more forward-leaning defense strategy.
As part of the new strategy, an Estonian military unit will be permanently relocated from Tapa, approximately 130 kilometers from the Russian border as the crow flies, to a new location just 50 kilometers from the border. New facilities are currently being constructed to accommodate the brigade’s troops.
“Defense is not working,” a senior Estonian military intelligence official said. “The critical period to address this, for all of us in the Baltic states, is within the next one to four years.”
In addition to the new base in Jõhvi, another military facility is being built in Narva with capacity for up to 1,000 personnel. It is expected to permanently accommodate around 200 troops, while having the capacity to house an additional 800 personnel in the event of a crisis.
